Hardline Iranian MPs move to impeach foreign minister over UN General Assembly talks

A group of hardline Iranian MPs has filed a motion to impeach Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over his talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month, exposing divisions within the Islamic Republic over how and whether to pursue negotiations with Washington to end the war.

Member of parliament's presiding board Mohammad Rashidi confirmed on Tuesday that the request had been registered in the parliamentary system but had not yet been referred to the board or placed on the agenda.

The MPs behind the motion, led by Amirhossein Sabeti of the hardline Paydari Front, argue that Araghchi's meeting with Witkoff on 22 September was conducted without authorisation from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei or coordination with the Supreme National Security Council.

The talks were held with Qatar acting as an intermediary and focused on conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key stumbling block in negotiations between Tehran and Washington since the war began in late February.

Supreme National Security Council's secretary Mohsen Rezaei directly contradicted that claim.

"It was agreed that Mr Araghchi, during his trip to New York, would convey Iran's conditions to the intermediaries," Rezaei said, indicating the talks had the prior approval of Iran's higher authorities.

Araghchi set out Tehran's conditions in the New York talks, including the immediate lifting of the US naval blockade, the immediate transfer of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the war on all fronts. US President Donald Trump rejected the proposal.

A second signatory, MP Hosseinali Hajideligani, accused Araghchi of "repeatedly, through targeted interviews, helping to lower oil prices for the United States."

Sabeti listed "crossing red lines" during negotiations, "serious miscalculations" in political analysis and mishandling of the US file as the main grounds for impeachment.

Araghchi's name has appeared on impeachment lists drawn up by hardline MPs multiple times over the past two years, and Hajideligani said in August that they were gathering documentation for a formal motion.

Alireza Salimi, himself a signatory of the letter and a member of the presiding board, told Mehr news agency that filing an impeachment motion does not mean the speaker supports it or that it will reach the floor.

The motion was filed while parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, one of Iran's main negotiators with the US side, holds the chair.

'A sign of weakness'

Some MPs oppose the move. Ruhollah Lak Aliabadi said "impeachment proceedings, especially impeaching the foreign minister in this wartime situation, are definitely not in the country's interest" and could send "a negative signal and a sign of weakness to the enemy."

Aliabadi said a recent parliamentary meeting with Araghchi lasted four and a half hours, during which the IRGC commander called Araghchi by phone at least three times, which he cited as evidence of coordination between diplomacy and the military.

Conservative political figure Mansour Haghighatpour also pushed back. "You do not change saddles in wartime," Haghighatpour said.

Araghchi's position appears secure for now. After he returned to Tehran following the New York trip — during which social media speculation circulated that he had sought asylum abroad — the foreign ministry formally described him as a member of Iran's six-person decision-making team, a signal that he retained the regime's confidence.

The memorial service for his sister, who died while Araghchi was at the UN General Assembly, drew one of the largest gatherings of Iranian officials since the start of the war. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend, continuing his absence from public events more than seven months after assuming power.